It seems that the way to enjoy the Caribbean is to get five or six pals/three couples, rent a catamaran/easiest to sail with the most room, and tool around. The only ingredient would be to know how to avoid the cruise ships. Catch your own fish, make your own dinners, and splurge once or twice at a good restaurant.
7
So the writer spent $140 on ferries and $700 on accommodations for 5 days - $168 a day. Not bad. But she always had a ferry to catch, a schedule to keep. Spoons and his friends split a $10,900 charter between 6 for 8 days - $227 a day. $60 more but for that they had the freedom to leave when they wanted and go where the ferry doesn't and where there are no hotels or inns. Seems like a reasonable trade off to me.
8
Beautiful review of our islands. Thanks for noticing the real treasures beyond the Baths and beaches of "Nature's Little Secret:" the people who live here.
9
If you are an accomplished sailor, you can hit the lobsters at Sidney’s Peace and Love where you pour your own drinks and keep track on the honor system and choose your lunch or dinner before they cook it at quite a bit less than $40. You also might miss the buffet at the Bitter End, but snorkeling at places around the islands with gear on your charter included makes for a different adventure. The BVI is about the sailboat charter heaven as the different islands and fun places are within a nice days sail and steady trade winds are assured.
3
Thanks Elaine Glusac. Great way to go...for a couple or solo.
I enjoyed your writing and insights.
9
Spring Bay, Virgin Gorda. Heaven on Earth.
4
Thirty years ago we actually had a yacht-- well, okay, a used sailboat-- in the Virgin Islands. We still loved taking the ferry, the old Bomba Charger, between St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands and West End, Tortola, BVI. It was far easier and faster than sailing our own boat and during small craft warnings, safer as well.
And how can anyone resist saying, "yes, I've sailed on the Bomba Charger!" It's adventure travel without all the danger and discomfort. I'm so glad the ferries are still around.
9
"of the mostly outdoor distillery works, including a 19th-century sugar cane crusher originally powered by harnessed donkeys"
looks like you forgot the people who worked on that sugar plantation--they were African slaves...
13
Miss these beautiful islands so much! You forgot to mention the chickens and occasional goat walking down the road.
5
I am glad that "the way it used to be" still exists on this planet!!!!
4
The BVI is a magical place to explore and the ferries are surprisingly efficient. I was on the ferry out of Road Town, Tortola this summer sipping an icy Red Stripe and life was pretty darn good.
5
I am not sure you can compare the ferry experience to that of a sailboat where you have to deal directly with mother nature and have an intimate bond with the sea, but both are wonderful things to do. With regard to ferries, I have not been to the Caribbean, but have traveled on the Greek ferry system, which can be far more enjoyable than a simple means of transportation. If you don't take the "fast ferry", an enclosed catamaran, you get a taste of travel in the open sea which is exhilarating. On a somewhat related note, in the two times we have been to Venice, I purchased day passes on the vaporetto (a water bus), which not only transported us all around the city, but gave us spectacular views in the process.
10
On a calm day, when the sea is like glass, on the boat from Tortola to Anegada, you can look over the side and see giant starfish 60 feet below. You can also see various sharks swim by and if you’re lucky, a school of dolphin. This is a magical place.
22
I don't agree with the cost comparison made here. I also did an eight day BVI trip on a cruising catamaran. That $10,900 cost (actually, ours was less but I'm using the cost in the article) gets divided by eight or ten since eight can travel with room to spare (with each couple having a private stateroom and bathroom) and ten just a little bit more crowded on a 45' cat. That comes to between $1,100 and $1,400 per person for transport and lodging, not a whole lot more than the $840 that Elaine spent. A crew of five such as mentioned in the article can get by with a much smaller, much less expensive boat. Not only that, but the cats are equipped with full kitchen, snorkeling gear, a small outboard dinghy to get you to the best snorkeling spots, a great hifi system, and usually other toys such as kayaks. Given that you don't need to spend extra money for restaurants, snorkeling excursions, etc., a charter cat generally ends up being less expensive than a ferry excursion and also gives you more freedom to explore less travelled locations (not to mention less time and money hassling with bags, ferry connections, taxis, etc. The only limitation is that you need at least one or two companions to be experienced sailors.
21
@DaveD , and you don't have the freedom to change your mind en route and spend 2 or 3 days at place x, not the 1 planned.
6
@joan
Right, because the ferries don't run every day, and are sometimes canceled as referenced. Whereas you have complete freedom on a sailboat. A fairly disingenuous article, unless one only lies to travel alone! As DaveD suggested, cost could be comparable, but for a three, possibly four-day visit, according to her article (one night on Gorda and one on Anegada, the other two nights must have been on STT?), versus a full eight days aboard without repacking or checking in or out. I've ferried and just returned from my tenth sail there in January; no comparison!
4
Agreed... not only are the expenses actually fairly comparable, but also the fantastic ability to unpack once, have one bed, no need to rush wait, stand in a line, leave and repeat. Also you can avoid the towns where ferries and cruise ships go all together and find quiet coves.
Perhaps if you are solo and have no option fInd friends this works out, but overall I’ll pay just a bit more for a much better experience.
1
I was just on the Lady Caroline to Tortola two days ago. The ferry system in the USVI/BVI is fantastic, quick, and safe. It’s a great way to see several different islands over the course of a week or so. But no mention of Jost van Dyke? It’s just northwest of Tortola and easy to get to by ferry (and there’s a quiet customs office for those needing to clear in or out on their way to or from the U.S. islands). Can’t miss Foxy’s, Ivan’s Stress-Free Bar, Hendo’s Hideout, or Joan Chinnery and her incredible homemade empanadas!
(Also, the bay in Anegada is Loblolly, not Loblobby.)
11
yeah and between Jost van Dyke and Little Jost van Dyke is a beautiful area with sea grass where u can see lots of sea turtles. I remember seeing local school children there on field trips learning about local ecology, walking between the islands during low tide. Quite a few yachts anchor in that area too. But don't go on Little Jost van Dyke unless you have permission.
3
Ahh! Fond memories of traveling the Virgin Islands on the ferries and staying at small inexpensive and charming (locally owned) lodging. We travel to the islands for the climate, the water and the culture. I have never understood why, whether it be the beach, or skiing in mountains, that people want to insulate themselves from the experience with huge mansions, uber-luxury and gigantic ships. Eventually all that insulation destroys what drew us there in the first place.
10
The author did a pretty good job of describing the beauty and fun of the BVI. But we sailors don't come down here to use a catamaran as inter island transportation. Unless you are a sailor, you wouldn't understand. Cheers!
9
Although crime is low in the BVIs, statistics show that almost all burglary and armed robberies of charter yachts happen within a half-mile of the nearest ferry dock. The good news is that as a backpacker riding ferries, chances are you may be less of a target, but you should still take basic safety precautions to avoid being a crime victim.
6
Sorry you missed Jost Van Dyke, always our favorite. Several fine anchorages, and settlements. The large bay offers a walk over the hills to White Bay, no anchorage overnights, but lovely beach and beach bar, now more touristic, but still worth a visit.
3
@Ed Martin You can overnight on mooring balls in Great Harbour (something we did just last week).
@Ed Martin
Yes, you can anchor in White Bay, as I did the last two years, even on NYE this year! Although it can be a little rolly depending on the swell direction.
FYI As a teenager attending Weehawken High School in the 50s I enjoyed riding the 42nd St Ferry during lunch break especially during exam week in June when there may have been hours between morning and afternoon exams. There was almost always a pleasant breeze from the bay and if I remember correctly the fare was 10 cents. Only locals, like me.
7
Who is your target market? Maybe I am reading the wrong newspaper. Is the average NYT reader able to spend 10,000+ to rent a yacht in the Caribbean?
2
@Luke - no, perhaps not, but ten average NYT readers on a cat can very likely each afford $1,000 for a week.
13
@Jason ah, good point. the average reader could pool their money with their friends.
@Luke I like ferries except for the enclosed catamarrans but actually going sailing with friends is generally cheaper than taking ferries, staying in hotels and eating all your meals in restaurants. (We'll leave cruise ships out of the equation.They can be cheap or expensive but are a totally different experience.)
As for the luxuriousness of what the author called yachts and what most of us who have used them call charter sailboats, this article could only have been written by someone who has never been inside one. Tiny rooms and even tinier bathrooms, tight quarters for meals in the saloon but on the other hand, the ability to sit outside on deck, sail a boat, and enjoy a week with friends. You get to stop along the way for snorkeling and swimming, anchor in smaller communities, and buy your food from locals whether you cook it yourself or eat in small dockside restaurants. Frankly, it has a lot more in common with camping than it does with glitz and glamour. That's not to say that you won't see luxurious boats that belong to the ultra rich (I remember seeing actual yachts in Greece that had space for helicopters on board) but most charter boats are rented by people who simply love to sail and don't have a lot of money. There are plenty of us like that out there even in landlocked Colorado.
4
I feel your comparison is disingenuous.
You paid $140 for ferries and $700 for lodging for 5 days for one person so $840, or $168 per night.
The other group spent $10,900 for 5 people for 8 days. When you divide that out it’s $272 per person per night. $100 more but not the thousands you make it appear, and certainly less than any hotel here in NYC!
In addition, they could buy food at the supermarket and cook in the boat galley if they wanted to save, but you would have to eat out.
For sure, traveling in the BVI’s is a luxury vacation, no question, but the it’s not as far beyond reach as many may think when you divide costs with a group of friends.
8
"Rich and Powerful"? If only. My friends and I have chartered sailboats all over the world from Thailand to the Mediterranean. The cost of the boat, when split among four of us, is less than staying in a hotel. Half the time we cook dinner on board and usually have breakfast and lunch on board as well.
Why do we do it? We enjoy sailing, plotting our course, drinking sundowners in the cockpit, the adventure of doing for oneself. Next month we are off again to Antigua (my third time) for more fun and adventure. My only regret is we are running out of novel places to charter......such is life.
7
@Jsailor What! I've been doing it for 22 years, with few repeats (the BVI being the exception) and I feel like I'm going to run out of years before I run out of islands! My list of places I want to sail keeps growing (Sardinia this year, the Red Sea next year).
2
Just thinking about it - Spoons paid $227/per person/per night (~$11K, 6 people, 8 days), vs. Elaine who paid $168/per person/per night ($700 accomodations, $140 BVI Ferries, 5 nights, 1 person)) , so he paid about $60/day more -- but had complete freedom over what he did when, where to go, had activities built in, could go snorkeling at his leisure, etc?
2
Hurrah for Elaine! And cruise ship passengers get very little exposure to anything really local, but that may be why they are on that ship. A big part of traveling is seeing life elsewhere not just thru the lens of quick cruise line excursions that turn places into Disneyland and ruin ports of call.
14
You missed Jost Van Dyk.
Did the same trip in 1994 with a mountain bike.
Cycling wasn’t worth it. The trip was.
Off Jost Van Dyk a fisherman took me to a small island with only one palm tree. I spent four hours on my island in the sun, snorkeling, swimming sunning and loving it.
3
i wanted to take my my 12 year old son on our first trip without my husband this summer and i picked tortola, precisely for the reasons the author outlined.
taking the road town ferry from st. thomas was a great way to start our holiday.
(and myett's is a great place to spend a few days).
1
In 1979 my sister and I took the ferry the Bomba Charger from Charlotte Amalie to Tortola. The locals carried quite an assortment along for the ride, chickens in cages, groceries, auto parts, musical instruments. A weekend renting a tent at a campground on an isolated part of the island was sheer joy. By chance our varied group included an optolmologist, married flight attendants, fellow we met on the boat and a gymnast who generously shared the lobsters he speared during the day and entertained in the evenings with handstands and complicated vaults off the picnic table. He shared an album of photos and newspaper clippings of his adventures that included taking a raft down the Mississippi from it's origins to New Orleans, kayaking on Lewis and Clarks trail. We all had heard of this campground where one highlight was the homemade lemon meringue pies the owner made daily. There was a sense of freedom, purity in hiking and swimming in isolated coves that even a thunderstorm in a two man tent my sister and I shared at night could not diminish. Much more fun than some grand hotel rooms we shared in our travels.
13
Two other places I know of where the ferry is far and away the best tourist value out there: Lisbon and Istanbul.
Check it out!
4
@Pangolin
Also, Venice.
1
This is just another sample of the wide social distance of the 'rich and powerful' from us mere mortals. Arrogant and wasteful? You bet. But there is still a long stretch for them to recognize their spiritual poverty in displaying privileges in the midst of poverty, the latter paradoxically created by the so called 1%. Poor rich folks, unaware of 'the other', and the community from which they remain divorced of. And when solidarity goes missing, justice goes awol...and peace just a dream. Perhaps we need a lesson in civics, so to allocate our resources as best we can, and should.
3
In the British Virgin Islands, tourism is the main source of income for the general society. Are you suggesting ending tourism in the BVIs as a way to free the locals from the oppression of privileged tourist dollars? Suggest that to the locals and see what response you get.
12
@manfred marcus I think what you are saying, although its not very clear, is that people should not go on vacation because they are,
1) White
2) Rich
3) Privileged
Is that about right?
Give me a break. This is a very good article about how to enjoy a beautiful place in a different way then the standard, "lets rent a boat". The world is not just poor people, there are many middle class who work hard all year for a vacation. Lets let them have it and have fun. And if they can save a few $$ while still have a great time then all the better.
14
Sounds a lot more fun than a cruise ship. Thanks.
28
You should also check out Bahamas Fast Ferries and touring on the Bahamas mailboats.
5
Not sure about the BVI ferries, but please have some extra days padded at the end if you take the L’Express des Iles ferries.
A few years back, my friend and I booked a round trip between Martinique and Dominica. On our return, we arrived to find a closed terminal with no way back to Martinique, which we were scheduled to fly out of the next morning back to JFK. We went to the Ferry’s office where we were told there was nothing they can do, even though they listed the wrong return date on the ticket. We had to buy plane tickets to Martinique, via Guadeloupe, which did not arrive until 8/9 that evening.
Even though we emailed the company to try to get a refund, we never heard back. Lesson learned—never, ever play it so close again.
15
Bottom line your intermediate price adventure was still more than the couple paid for their whole cruise if I read you right.
At least some NY Times readers like myself can't afford that.
Give me the mega cruise ship. With the exception of a rare occasional virus outbreak, the ships have great food, drink, entertainment and because of their design are not crowded like the Staten Island ferry here in NYC.
Once in a port you can choose to go cheap and tour close to the ship in order to insure to get back or if you want to do what you do the cruise companies offer expensive shore excursions guaranteeing you will get back.
2
And the writer had to lug bags from place to place, waste time checking in, checking out. For such short stays, this doesn’t seem to be such a good use of time.
2
@Paul She traveled alone so the cost would have been much less expensive if shared.
A cruise ship is a horrible way to see these islands. When we go, we rent a jeep and go from private beach to tiki hut bar to private beech, etc all day every day. Its and adventure where you really get to meet all the locals and appreciate island life. Taking a tour bus to town or some mass snorkeling excursion bastardizes the experience.
16
@Jeffrey C. Thomas one more thing Jeff. My sister and husband rented a car on Jamaica to "be like a native". Armed irregular military stopped them and claimed they smelled pot (there was none). My sister and husband panicked and sped off with the car fearing for their lives.
They were actually out racing the military when the car crashed. Thank God nobody was hurt. They spent two days in jail and had to pay a bribe to get out.
5
One of the most beautiful places in the world. Had the opportunity to do a ten day bareboat sail on a 45 ft. sailboat with six people. Starting in St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola and numerous other islands. Paradise
18
Thank you, Ms. Glusac. Well done! I have been very fortunate to travel the world over my 60 plus years. Rubbing shoulders with the locals is one of the most enjoyable part of my travels. Whenever possible and safe, I rather use a bus or a train over a taxi or car rental. Likewise, whenever I go to eat, I go to places where mostly locals eat. I would also sit for hours in cafes or open restaurants to watch the comings and goings of the day to day people who live there. I find these experience to be soul enriching and truly what I remember most of my travels.
32
Ah, the memories....my husband and I got married on Tortola in 1979, when things were simpler, since it was pre-cruise ship at the time. A gorgeous place--and yes, we took the ferry to St. Thomas to get wedding rings. Cane Garden Bay was lovely, but with only one beach-side open air bar it was pretty deserted (and perfect). At the time, Speedy's Garage was where you got a rental jeep--glad to see they have branched out into ferries!
14
I love, love, love the BVI and was fortunate to have spent a week there on board a 42-foot sailboat, which was heaven on earth. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the islands and the cheerfulness of the natives and would return in a heartbeat should I ever get the opportunity. There were obviously more economical ways than a rented yacht to see the islands, but I was fortunate to have friends who included me in the adventure. It was a trip of a lifetime.
12
I have spent many fantastic vacations chartering sail boats in the BVI. Anegada and Loblolly Bay are my favorite destinations, although the sail into Anegada is fraught with anxiety due to the coral reefs, lurking just below the surface of the beautiful turquoise water, threatening to damage the hull or rudder. The $40 for spiny lobster is the best money spent for delicious, juicy and pink succulent meat. It’s even better when eaten at one of the beach bars at Loblolly.
Thanks for this article detailing two things that I am glad to have learned from it - that the islands are recovering and that the ferry services are affordable and convenient. I hope to return soon and try out this type of transportation - no anxiety!
9
@Susan Leech
It seems you should be more concerned about damaging the coral reef than the boat.
5